June 3, 2008 12:16 AM
Match report: Pisa at Bologna (seriously!)
FC Rocky doesn't dip into the European leagues too often. But Rocky Mountain News artist John Sopinski is visiting his wife in Italy (there's a long-distance relationship!), and he had this to report from the Bologna-Pisa match on Sunday in Bologna. The hosts had a chance to be promoted to Serie A with a victory. J-Sop is a longtime Bologna supporter. Let's see what happened ...
"Check out the pic from yesterday's match (at bottom of post). My wife surprised me with tickets. My plane was delayed Friday because of storms over O'Hare. So I flew to Paris then Bologna, Sunday morning. My wife, her sister and my niece were waitng. So we went home, had lunch then headed downtown for the game. I had my Bologna F.C. scarf.
"The scene was amazing. It looks cloudy in the pic but it was hot and and hazy.
"A small contingent of a couple hundred very vocal Pisa supporters were sequestered in the opposite corner (from the people in the pic). They would start singing, and then the Bologna crowd would chant and sing back in response. The Pisa fans were nuts. They got worse and worse yelling. They basically keep them in a cage in the corner.
"We went up 1-nil in the first half after a Pisa player blatantly took down one of our forwards who was about to take a pass for a point-blank shot in front of the net, and we were awarded a penalty shot.
"After that the game became boring, as the Bolognesi played keep-away, passing back and forth at the rear before finding a seam up front to make a few scoring attempts. They had several near misses and otherwise dominated Pisa without taking too many risks.
"The clock expired, and the crowd went insane as the players took a victory lap around Renato dell'Ara Stadium.
"Everyone poured out into the city and headed for Piazza Maggiore. Thousands upon thousands of scooters raced up and down the streets with flags flying. It looked like Sturgis, S.D., on an afternoon of the big Harley rally. We ducked out and tried to get home as I was exhausted from the trip.
"It's very interesting going to an Italian soccer game. Very low-tech and uncorporate compared to any American sporting event.
"There are no fancy scoreboards or stadium-music soundtracks. However, the passion for the game is amazing. I don't know how everyone knows all of the songs and chants and when to sing them. They must be exhausted by the end of the game.
"I saw no signs of hooliganism. The Pisa fans were surrounded by cops and were probably risking their lives with the obscenities hurled at the opposing fans but didn't have much of a chance to do anything.
"The stadium is very old with concrete risers with plastic seats attached. However, all the tickets have your name on them and are scanned in at the entrance by means of a bar code on ultra-modern turnstiles. The guy working the gate caught me with a plastic water bottle but said to just hide it and let me take it in because it was hot.
"There are also high-tech security cameras pointed at the crowd. Moreover, the PA announcer reminded the crowd that any racist taunts etc. could disqualify a team or at least the fans for the opening of next season.
"To me, it's kind of how sports used to be when we were growing up without all of the annoying music, dancers, blimps flying around etc. Just the passion for the game.
"Only a few big teams like Milan A.C. have beautiful new stadiums like San Siro.
"Bologna F.C. celebrates its 100th anniversay with its return to Serie A. They are 6-time champions of Italy but haven't won the 'Scudetto' since we were born.
"Type 'Bologna' into YouTube, and you might find a good match between Inter and Bologna from the early sixties.
"Yours in soccer, John"
June 3, 2008
2:31 AM
Alan Willey writes:
Sounds like a memorable experience. All we need now is a report on Hamburg vs. Frankfurt.
June 3, 2008
3:08 PM
Carlo writes:
Oh, i wanna make a lot of comments about this post, but my english and my laziness maybe will not allow so much...
ok, i start...
1) in san siro palys also the Serie A champ, Inter Milan, not only AC Milan, im a little touchy about it
2) the match beetween inter and bologna in 60's decided a championship in favor of Bologna, but was a championshp not so regoular 'cause some points take off and then take on to bologna after a doping scandal (im touchy also about it!)
and about the game
3)Bologna deserve Serie A for his past and for his fans
4)Pisa fans are so hot, and somethimes a little violent, this is generally one of the problems of italian soccer (not only pisan, i mean)
5)the people know all the chorus without speaker, cause the speakers are the same fans, without filter. they also spent a lot of money for the coreography of big match
at last:
It's very interesting going to an Italian soccer game. Very low-tech and uncorporate compared to any American sporting event.
"There are no fancy scoreboards or stadium-music soundtracks. However, the passion for the game is amazing" this is the point, george: no fake for us, just only passion... not musical, singer or justin timberlake at the break, just only 22 player with them so much passionate people.
we care only about the game, not else.
this is italian soccer.
June 3, 2008
9:10 PM
George Tanner writes:
awesome comments, carlo. it would be wonderful to get the opportunity to go to italy or spain or germany or england and experience the different styles of enjoying the game that countries have evolved.
June 4, 2008
4:49 AM
Carlo writes:
George,
If you want wonderful stadiums go to germany
If you want a perfect organization of the event, go to england
If you want striker stronger then fullback and no tacticism go to spain
If you want a match to the last blood, after then you are tired like the player on field, go to italy. Expecelly to a Inter match: Inter in Italy is know with the name of "crazy inter" cause can win a lost match but can also almost lose a championship already won (almost: we won it!)
June 4, 2008
4:50 AM
Carlo writes:
George,
If you want wonderful stadiums go to germany
If you want a perfect organization of the event, go to england
If you want striker stronger then fullback and no tacticism go to spain
If you want a match to the last blood, after then you are tired like the player on field, go to italy. Expecelly to a Inter match: Inter in Italy is know with the name of "crazy inter" cause can win a lost match but can also almost lose a championship already won (almost: we won it!)
September 1, 2008
9:33 PM
orlin writes:
great report!
thaks